All the members are good people, only the host is a pervert

As dusk fell, the delicate fragrance of osmanthus flowers drifted across the Qinhuai River. Lin Ruan leaned against the carved railing on the second floor of Zuixian Tower, her fingertips unconsciously caressing the jade wine glass.

The unbridled laughter of the playboys could be heard downstairs, but she seemed to be separated from him by a layer of transparent glass, and even the polite curve at the corner of her mouth showed a sense of alienation.

"You are truly blessed, my daughter." The daughter of the Jinling prefect's family came closer, holding a gilded wine pot, and the smell of wine sprayed on her ears.

"Madam, the Princess even lit three long-burning lamps in front of the Buddha in Qixia Temple to bless you with good luck in the exam."

The ever-burning lamps at Qixia Temple are incredibly rare, each one worth a fortune. The price isn't the only issue, but Qixia Temple also has a peculiar requirement: to offer the ever-burning lamps, one must recite seven different Buddhist scriptures before the Buddha as a sign of sincerity.

Xu Jinshu lit three lamps in a row and recited twenty-one Buddhist scriptures. Who in the whole Jinling City doesn't know that the lady of the world loves the worldly girl deeply?

Lin Ruan swirled the amber wine in the glass, his eyes fixed on the lights of the pleasure boat in the distance.

Seeing that Lin Ruan ignored them, those who wanted to make fun of them retreated awkwardly.

Everyone knows that Miss Lin used to go to Nanfeng Pavilion all day long when she was in the capital, and now that she is in Nanjing, she still has her dissolute lifestyle of sleeping with prostitutes.

If they were to say, the lady of the royal family was also stupid. Instead of asking the Buddha to bless Lady Lin to successfully make the list, it would be better to ask the Buddha to let her change her temper.

Forget it, it’s not easy to ask this playboy who has been living a dissolute life for so many years to change her character, even if it’s not easy to pray for a miracle to put her on the list.

The evening drum of the night watch sounded from a distance. Lin Ruan put down her wine glass and stood up. The maid downstairs hurriedly handed her an ivory fractured fan, but she waved it away.

The housekeeper, holding a lantern, had been waiting for a long time in front of the vermilion-lacquered gate of the Duke's ancestral home. Lin Ruan was about to cross the threshold of her courtyard when she caught a glimpse of the warm light streaming from the Buddhist temple in the west wing.

The silhouette of Xu Jinshu kneeling on the futon was reflected on the window paper, as thin as a paper-cut that could be blown away by the wind at any time.

"Go to the study," Lin Ruan ordered. On the surface, she still maintained her usual carefree demeanor of wandering along the Qinhuai River, but secretly, she slept in the study under the pretext of reading.

The servants in the ancestral house all knew that the lights in the princess's study were not even on, so she didn't seem to be doing any homework.

It's obvious that he is just sleeping.

In fact, Lin Ruan was hiding in the space to practice scoring control.

The system knows the future development of this world, and naturally knows the topics of the provincial examination.

She knew very well that this exam was not only a way for her to gain fame, but also a key step to deceive the old and suspicious emperor.

Only by deliberately taking the last place in the exam could the emperor think that there was no successor to the Duke's Mansion, thereby lowering his vigilance against the Duke's Mansion and preventing him from taking action halfway and preventing himself from returning to the capital.

She unfolded the list of exam questions provided by the system and marked several key questions with a red pen. She had already memorized these questions by heart, and now she had to remember where to deliberately make mistakes.

Outside the window, a bright moon quietly climbed up the branches. Lin Ruan rubbed her aching wrist, looking at the thick stack of drafts in front of her, a wry smile curling her lips. Who could have imagined that she, a "spoiled fool," would secretly rack her brains to figure out how to do worse on the exam?

Meanwhile, Xu Jinshu was tossing and turning in the east wing, unable to sleep. The summer night's oppressive heat had beads of sweat on his forehead, but he didn't bother to wipe them away, his mind filled with lingering worries.

Xu Jinshu has been increasingly busy and conflicted lately. On the one hand, he hopes Lin Ruan will pass the imperial examination and achieve success in her official career; on the other hand, he is filled with anxiety.

It has been more than a year since he came to Jinling, but Lin Ruan still hasn't gotten him pregnant. In every letter home, the Duke's wife always asks about offspring.

He was afraid that once Lin Ruan passed the imperial examination, the two of them would return to the Duke's Mansion in the capital. The fact that she would not be able to give birth to an heir for the family would cause the Duke's wife to be dissatisfied with him, which would in turn affect his situation in the mansion.

On the day of the provincial examination, it started raining heavily before dawn.

"Search! Next!"

The officer roughly searched her examination basket and groped her body.

Lin Ruan allowed herself to be manipulated expressionlessly, but she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure under the willow tree in the distance out of the corner of her eye - Xu Jinshu had come after all, the veil of his hat was wet by the rain and stuck to his pale face.

He is thoughtful, so why not give him a reward after the exam?

Lin Ruan thought to herself.

After passing through numerous gates, Lin Ruan found her own room according to her number.

It was just a small cubicle, three feet square, with only a wooden board serving as a table and chairs.

She looked around and saw that many candidates had turned pale - staying in such an environment for nine consecutive days was indeed a test.

"Ding——" the bell rang and the test papers were handed out.

Lin Ruan unfolded the test paper and quickly scanned the questions. A subtle smile rose from her lips as she picked up her pen, dipped it in ink, and began to answer.

Nine days passed in a flash.

After each exam, when Lin Ruan walked out of the Imperial Examination Hall, he could always see a familiar figure in the crowd.

Xu Jinshu wore a veil hat and stood under the scorching sun for several hours.

In the middle of summer, he was wrapped up tightly, and the hair under his veil was soaked with sweat and stuck to his pale cheeks.

"My dear wife!" When he saw Lin Ruan coming out, Xu Jinshu was always the first to greet her, helping her get on the carriage, and hurriedly handing her iced sour plum soup and exquisite snacks.

During the period of the provincial examination, Lin Ruan had not lost weight, but he looked depressed and pale. People who didn't know him thought it was him, Xu Jinshu, who was taking the exam.

On the day the results were announced, the streets of Jinling were deserted. Lin Ruan and Xu Jinshu stayed at home, only letting Zhezhi go to see the list.

She was calmly sipping tea in the pavilion in the backyard, but Xu Jinshu was fidgeting, embroidering a handkerchief beside her, with the stitches crooked, and she kept unstitching the embroidery.

Zhezhi struggled forward through the throng, her gaze anxiously searching the list. Given her daughter's recent state, she didn't dare expect a high score. She simply focused on the bottom of the list, intending to work her way back up.

As a result, at just one glance, I saw the word "Linruan" at the end of the list - the last one.

Zhezhi was stunned at first, but then a delighted smile spread across his face. He quickly ran back to his ancestral home and said excitedly, "My lady, you won! You won!"

The embroidery frame in Xu Jinshu's hand fell to the ground with a "bang". Lin Ruan pretended to be excited and stood up even more exaggeratedly, even knocking over the teacup.

"Really? How many?" "How many?"

Zhezhi's smile froze. He glanced at Lin Ruan cautiously before softly saying, "This... the last one..."

The pavilion was silent.

Lin Ruan snapped open her folding fan, breaking the silence. She covered her raised lips and feigned surprise, "Last place? I actually passed the exam?"

Zhezhi stole a glance at his daughter's face and said cautiously, "Yes... Everyone says that the daughter is very lucky..."

"Luck?" Lin Ruan raised an eyebrow, fanning herself loudly. "This is clearly the result of my immense talent, my tireless pursuit of learning, and my diligent study! Even though I'm ranked last, I'm still a Juren!"

People around:...

What I mean is, is there a possibility that all the idioms in this sentence have nothing to do with you, our lady?

It would be better to say that it is the good luck brought by the eternal lamp.

Thinking of this, Xu Jinshu hurriedly whispered to Zhu'er beside him: "Go to Qixia Temple and donate another three hundred taels of silver to fulfill my vow."

Zhu'er nodded in agreement hurriedly.

That night, the Zuixian Tower was brightly lit. Lin Ruan held a grand banquet to entertain all the nobles of Jinling City.

After three rounds of drinks, someone started to cheer, "Miss Lin has passed the imperial examination. She will surely have a bright future when she returns to the capital! Don't forget us old friends when the time comes!"

"Of course!" Lin Ruan raised his glass and drank, looking very pleased with himself.